Le Mans MotoGP Qualifying Results: Francesco Bagnaia seals first pole of 2026 in Ducati 1-2

Francesco Bagnaia pipped teammate Marc Marquez to claim pole position for the 2026 French MotoGP at Le Mans, giving Ducati Lenovo a front-row platform for the weekend’s sprint and Grand Prix.

Bagnaia clocked a late 1:29.634 lap to seal his first pole of 2026 season and underline a major turnaround after a difficult run of form, while championship leader Marco Bezzecchi was among the headline performers but had to settle for third.

Marc initially delivered a record-breaking lap in Q1 to move into the final qualifying shootout which turned into a Ducati and Aprilia contest with several riders capable of setting the benchmark.

VR46 Ducati’s Fabio Di Giannantonio was the first rider to deliver a flyer under the 1m30s mark in Q2 with a 1m29.876s, but Bezzecchi responded with a 1:29.825, which was later eclipsed by Marquez who pushed the standard even lower with a 1:29.646 to put himself within striking distance of pole.

However, the decisive moment came at the end when Bagnaia found the final margin to go fastest with 1:29.634, beating Marquez to pole position by only 0.012 seconds.

Di Giannantonio qualified in fourth place and will lead the second row alongside KTM’s Pedro Acosta and home hero Fabio Quartararo who impressed in sixth after showing encouraging pace earlier in the day.

Joan Mir will lead the Honda charge from seventh with the Aprilias of Jorge Martin and Ai Ogura completing the third row.

Gresini’s Alex Marquez will start further back in fourth row after a late crash at Turn 3 threw off his qualifying rhythm, ending up in P10.

Full 2026 Le Mans MotoGP Qualifying Results